Lightning-arrester.



A. E. BEATTIE.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED on. 14. 1915.

1,1 87,126. Patented June 13, 1916.

B I iiililiiiliiiliiluli f/VVE/VTOR; M 675 15 2m rm: CDLUMBXA FLANOGRAPHc0., WASHINGTOI n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE, OF ST. MICHAELS, TORQUAY, ENGLAND.

LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

Application filed October 14, 1915.

To all '10 hom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE,subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at St. Michaels, Torquay,in the county of Devon, England, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Lightning-Arresters, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to arrangements for protecting telephone,telegraph and the like instruments against lightning and excessiveelectric potentials.

According to the invention, for the above purpose, an ele'ctro-magnet isincluded in the connection between each line and the instrument to beprotected, which magnet is so proportioned and its armature is sorestrained, that by normal working currents the armature of the magnetis unaffected, but by currents of excessive potential the armature isattracted and earths the line, and breaks or short-circuits theconnection between the line and the instrument.

A diagrammatic representation of an arrangement according to theinvention, is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawing,in which A and B are the two lines of a telephone circuit, and C and Dare the two terminals which connect the lines to the telephoneinstrument. The arrangement 'for protecting the instrument againstlightning and excessive electric potentials is interposed between thelines A, B and the terminals C, D. The line A is connected to the onewinding a of an electro-magnet and the line B is connected to the otherwinding 5 of the electromagnet. In addition, the line A is connected toa plate 0 and the line B is connected to a plate (Z.

c is a spring-restrained armature of the elcctro-magnet a, I). Thisarmature a car ries an earthed plate f insulated therefrom and situatedadjacent to the plates 0, d. On an excessive current traversing thewindings a, b of the electro-magnet, the armature 0 will be attractedand will carry the earthed plate f into closer proximity to outstandingflanges of the plates 0, d, until within sparking distance therefrom oractual contact therewith. The lines will thus become earthed and theinstrument protected. On the lines A and B being earthed, the magnet a,b will become sufficiently deenergized to release its armature e andrestore the circuit to its original normal condition.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Serial No. 55,792.

The usual fixed lightning arrester g is preferably still retained withthe present arrangement, in which case the armature plate f convenientlyis connected to the earth plate of the lightning arrester, as shown.Moreover, a stop it for the armature e is preferably connected to theearth plate of the lightning arrester g, and has a block 2' presenting asurface adjacent to but insulated from the armature e. The armature c onits approach to the electro-magnet a, b, encounters with its outer end aspring mounted lever j and when sufficiently attracted, displaces same.The outer end of this lever j encounters and displaces anotherspring-mounted lever is. This lever is in its turn displaces by means ofan insulated abutment, a spring-mounted lever Z.

The lever Z forms part of the circuit between the winding a of theelectro-magnet and the instrument terminal C, so that on beingdisplaced, the lever Zmoves away from .an adjustable contact m andinterrupts the connection between the line A and the terminal C. Thelever Z on its displacement also by an insulated abutment displaces aspring-mounted lever n, which forms part of the circuit between thewinding 1) of the electro-magnet and the other terminal D of theinstrument. The lever n is thereby moved away from an adjustable contact0 on, the terminal D, and interrupts the connection between the line Band the terminal D. Thus in addition to earthing the lines thearrangement also breaks the connections between them and the telephoneinstrument on lightning or other excessive electric potential affectingthe lines.

The armature e and the levers j and is when displaced into mutualcontact provide a return for the current so keeping the circuit throughthe electro-magnet intact while short-circuiting the instrument. Aparallel and alternative path for the current traversing the windings aand b of the electromagnet, is also provided by a resistance 79approximately equal to the resistance of the telephone instrument andbridging the windings of the electro-magnet. By virtue of thisalternative path for the current provided through 19, the magnet willremain energized after the circuit has been broken at m and 0, even ifnot established through the armature c and levers j and k, and until theearthed plate 0 is within discharging range of the plates 0 and d.

The arrangement may be employed as a calling device. To effect this thelever j may be of sonorous metal to act as a sounder when struck by thearmature c, and the latter may be so weakly spring-restrained as to beattracted into contact with the lever j, by a calling current which istoo weak to energize the magnet sufliciently to displace the system oflevers and break the circuit to the instrument. Alternatively or inaddition to the lever j acting as a sounder, the contact of the armaturec, with the lever j may, as illustrated, close the circuit of anelectric bell t. The bell t is preferably, as indicated by the diagram,a continuously ringing bell.

It may sometimes be desirable, for in stance during seasons not liableto thunder storms, to connect the telephone instrument directly to thelines A, B, thus short-circuiting the electro-magnet and lever contactbreakers. F or this purpose the instrument terminals C, D are eachconnected to a separate pole of the plug g, which can be in serted in aspring jack 1', the appropriate poles of which are directly connected tothe respective lines A, B. Alternatively, by inserting the plug 9 in themetallic collar 8 of the jack 7 so that the poles of the plug areshort-circuited by this collar 8, the telephone can be short-circuited,while leaving the electro-magnet and lever contact breakers operativefor protect ng the line and calling purposes.

The above described arrangement is of especial utility in tropicalcountries, where the intensity of lightning is far greater than intemperate countries, and where the necessity to use the telephone isoften urgent during a thunderstorm, for example when lightning has setfire to cane fields and assistance has consequently to. be summoned.Hitherto during such periods, the instrument generally has broken downand the operator-has been exposed to shock. The arrangement w thsuitable modifications may be used for protecting wireless stationsagainst lightning.

I claim:

1. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instrumentshaving a line wire, against lightning and excessive electric potentials,comprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, amagnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said linewire, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection carried by saidarmature adapted to contact with the said line terminal on attraction bysaid magnet, a system of spring mounted levers, a contact in connectionwith said line wire normally in contact with one of said levers, saidsystem of levers being adapted to be operated by movement of saidarmature to break the said contact of one of the levers with the linewire whereby the instrument to be protected is disconnected from thecircuit.

2. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instrumentshaving line wires, against lightning and excessive elec tric potentials,comprising a separate terminal connected to each line wire of saidinstrument, a magnet having a separate winding connected between saidinstrument and each of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, anearthed connection carried by said armature adapted to contact with saidline terminals on attraction by said magnet, a system of spring mountedlevers adapted to be displaced by movement of said armature, and acontact in each of said line wires normally in contact each withmutually insulated levers of said system,

whereby on operation of said system of levers by movement of theari'nature the connections to the instrument to be protected are broken.

3. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instrumentshaving a line wire against lightning and excessive electric potentialscomprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, amagnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said linewire, an armature for'said magnet, an earthed connection carried by saidarmature adapted to contact with said line terminal on attraction bysaid magnet and an open electric circuit including an electric bell anda source of electric power adapted to be closed by movement of saidarmature whereby an alarm is sounded on a heavy current traversing theline wire.

4. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instrumentshaving line wires against lightning and excessive potentials, comprisinga separate terminal con nected to each line wire of said instrument, amagnet having a separate winding connected between said instrument andeach of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, and an earthedconnection carried by said armature adapted to contact with both of saidline terminals on attraction by said magnet, and an open electriccircuit includ ing an electric bell, a source of electric power, andmeans whereby said circuit is closed by movement of the armature.

5. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and like instrumentshaving a line wire against lightning and excessive electric potentialscomprising a terminal connected to the line wire of said instrument, amagnet having a winding connected between said instrument and said linewire, an armature for said magnet, an earthed connection car ried bysaid armature adapted to contact with said line terminal on attractionby said magnet, a system of spring mounted levers one of said leversforming part of the cirno A cuit to the instrument, a contact in saidline wire normally in contact with the lever in the circuit, said systemof levers adapted to be displaced by movement of the armature, therebybreaking the contact of said lever with said line wire contact anddisconnecting the instrument, and an open electric circuit including anelectric bell and a source of electric power connected to said armatureand to the first lever of said system, said circuit being closedby'contact of the armature with said first lever of the system.

6. A device for protecting telephone, telegraph and the like instrumentshaving line wires against lightning and excessive electric potentialscomprising a separate terminal connected to each line wire of saidinstrument, a magnet having a separate winding connected between saidinstrument and each of said line wires, an armature for said magnet, anearthed connection carried to be operated by movement of the armature tobreak said contacts, and an open electric circuit including an electricbell connected to said armature and to the first lever of said system soas to be closed by contact of the armature with said first lever of thesystem.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR ELLIOT BEATTIE.

copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

